We're a bit obsessed with learning about the eye in this household. Here are a few activities and thoughts to ignite your desire to learn, or to continue learning about the eye! Have fun learning about the “blind spot“!

We've all heard the phrase “blind spot”...

…but do you know the definition of a “blind spot”?

Yeah, I didn't either until I did a bit of research on the eye.

The blind spot is a little spot of the eye. Everyone has a blind spot. The blind spot is the point in the eye where all the nerve in the eye come together. The nerves form a bundle of nerves call the optic nerve, a nerve that runs from the eye to the brain.

So, why makes the blind spot “blind'? The answer is that there are no cones or rods on that exact spot.

Exploring the Blind Spot

Here is a fun experiment to test out your eye's blind spot.

Use these template cards I created (cut the cards out and hand them out to the children)

Who is ready for a bug gardening activity? You all know how much I love zoology activities. The month of January came quickly to a close. I can smell the spring air lurking around us. I can practically hear the Pacific tree frogs croaking already. I do love their chorus. I feel my heart begin to flutter with the excitement of planting and growing season.

We hope that, when the insects take over the world, they will remember with gratitude how we took them along on all our picnics. ~Bill Vaughan

I try to plan ahead when it comes to our garden. This year, one major motivation is involving my kids in the garden planning process. One way I hope to inspire them is with their own garden planner. I want them to imagine the garden they would want to create and then see where we can go from there. The planner is the perfect first step with kids.

Bug Gardening Activity for Kids

Planning a garden with kids isn't enough. Kids will see right through the “lesson”. Well, at least my kids do.

Adults need to step back and consider the interests of the child and go from that point.

Education is a big part of garden planning and discovering. Learning a bit more about a topic actually works well to ignite a desire to want to to learn more, or at least results in being less afraid or intimidated by certain insects like spiders, ants, and slugs.

Did you know there are certain plants that when planted together fend off pests in the garden?

Yes, it is true. Certain plants when planted near one another are beneficial, or not, depending on the plant.

Yes, I know. Mind blown.

So, imagine the possibilities when we can arm kids with this information!

Ha, I have it! You have a young child in your lifehungry for more…more books, more painting, more science, more learning…

One of the coolest parts about being a parent and teacher is that we get to learn alongside our children.

Do you want to know another cool thing?

‘In working with your child, remember that he possesses the capabilities; it is your job to arouse them.’ ~ Elizabeth Hainstock

Kids are curious by nature. Our biggest obstacle, then, is to help the child hang onto this curiosity.

How can we ignite a child's desire to want to learn more?

Zoology Activities that Will Rock Your Kid's World

I have a few ideas. One idea is to simply keep learning hands on. Young children crave concrete learning. Satisfy that craving by bringing in big topics, being hands on, and getting outside (yes, the outdoors is the easiest path to igniting a child's sense of awe and wonder). Don't underestimate a child's love of learning and ability to explore more complicated, wondrous topics.

One learning area islife science. Young kids get their hands dirty with botany and zoology activities informally early on in life. So, how can we continue this life science learning? It is your lucky day. I have a few zoology activities up my sleeve (ok, really, they are available below) that your kids will adore. Not only will you will the affection of your child and ignite the desire to want to learn more, these versatile zoology activities give the opportunity to create variations and extensions! Happy learning!

Create a Sense of Awe & Wonder with these Zoology Activities

Learn Why Slugs Rule the School
Slugs are actually a useful part of our ecosystem. When slugs began invading our garden, I was determined to learn something about these little creatures with the hope that through education, we would learn to appreciate slugs.

The Wonders of Invertebrates and Vertebrates
Do you want to know something overwhelming? Talking to kids about big words like “invertebrates” and “vertebrates”. Sure we can fumble our way through a conversation about back bones but are we really equipped with the knowledge? This post gives you ideas and information on how to talk to kids about this topic.

Montessori Lifecycle Activities – the Frog
We're fortunate to have a small pond on our property where Pacific Tree frogs lay eggs every March. We harvest and observe these eggs for learning. This post includes supplemental zoology activities to learn about the life cycle of the frog.

Animal Science Activity
Super cool science right at your fingertips. How do walruses stay warm? Blubber! Test this concept with this zoology activity!

Learn about the Eye
The eye is an amazing piece of the body. How does it all work? Check out this post for wonderful zoology activities about the eye.

Sea Turtle Unit
Loads of ideas to study the sea creatures that have most of us in awe! Did you know that sea turtles find their way back to the same beach on which they were born to lay their eggs?

Exploring Spider Webs
Spiders are cool! Check out this post for loads of ideas to study spiders' anatomy, their behavior, and their habitats.

Montessori Inspired Bear Unit
We have black bears in our neighborhood. So, rather than be afraid of them, we decided to learn about bears and how we can co-exist with them.

Learn about Animals in Winter
Some animals migrate, some hibernate, and some adapt during colder and darker months. Why? How? This posts helps answer those questions!

Preschool Unit on Ants
Learn about ants and their fascinating behavior and strength in this post! Ants, like spiders and slugs, are the first to get “stomped” on but these tiny creatures play an important role in our ecosystem.

Learn about the Eye with these ten awesome activities! Today I began a unit on learning about the human eye. My four year old is certainly intrigued and asks questions I never imagined he'd ask. Paying close attention and observing the child is key. He asked me questions about blind people and seeing eye dogs. I would not have guessed out of all the facts that we'd be discussing and learning about the human eye that the inability to see would be what caught his interest.

Learn about the Eye

I always open a new topic with books. There are loads of wonderful books on the five senses and sight, generally. Books are the perfect jumping off point to get kids excited about learning! Check out this children's books about eyes list I created for my sons.

Photo Journal

Give your child the opportunity to tell a story through his eyes. My four year old enjoys taking photos and is quite good at it. Taking photos is about perspective and story telling. The photos my son takes tell me a lot about him.

My boys loved this activity. Cats eyes are ridiculously cool and different from our own. Children love animals and will find this concept amazing.

Blindfold Walk

This activity is extremely versatile and great for outdoor learning and exploration. The activity can involve pairs and works social and emotional skills such as trust and instinct.

Types of Eyes

I made these Types of Eyes cards to more closely examine the differences (and similarities) of eyes across a wide range of of animals

Parts of the Eye

These Parts of the Eye cards are from Montessori Printshop and are well done. Simply print on cardstock, cut, and laminate for safe keeping. To start I simply introduced the cards to illustrate the various parts of the eye using our cross section model. Then he will use the three part card approach to match the card images and labels.

Steps to Cat Eyes Activity

Hold the can around your chest and have a partner shine the light into the can

Observe

Science Behind Why Cats Eyes Glow

Cats appear to have glowing cat eyes because the back of their eyeballs include a special reflective surface called the tapetum lucidum. Light comes into the eye, the light is supposed to hit the photoreceptor that transmits information to the brain. When light doesn't hit the photoreceptor, so the tapetum lucidum acts as a mirror and bounces the light back for another chance.

My sons, like many 4 and 5 year olds, can't get enough of animals and animal science. You name the animal, they are curious and want to learn more. So when my oldest son began asking questions about animals that live in the arctic and why these animals don't get cold, I immediately thought about Steve Spangler's Blubber Gloves.

I love Steve and I love all his work. Seriously, he is an amazing resource, but I wasn't about to fill quart sized plastic bags with shortening. I could see the shortening smeared on the bathroom mirror, on my sensory seeking son's legs, arms, and face. Don't get me wrong, I am all for messes but not on this particular day. I knew there had to be another way to get to animal science experiment that would satisfy my sons' tactile desires and my hope to keep the shortening off our furniture. Then I recalled a science experiment book we'd recently taken from the library (Janice VanCleave's Play and Find Out about Nature: Easy Experiments for Young Children). Sure enough this book had a similar experiment (and many other fantastic and EASY science experiments for young children. I highly recommend the book.)

Animal Science Experiment

Materials for Animal Science Activity

Spoon

Shortening (the animal fat)

Two plastic bags (the animal skin)

Two ice cubes (the cold)

Approach to Animal Science Experiment

Scoop out a tablespoon of shortening

Place the shortening in the palm of your child's hand

Place hands – one with shortening and one without shortening – in the sandwich bags

Place ice cubes or crushed ice on the outside of the bags on each hand. Have the child hug the ice cube with his hand.

What do you observe?

Why does the shortening or fat keep the cold out?

I love the look on my son's face here. I think he expected the ice cube to burn his skin with its coldness. That didn't happen.

Science Behind the Activity

Shortening is a fat that insulates the cold. It is a thermoregulator, which means it keeps the warmth in and the cold out. Think about the fat substance. It is dense, right? It has low thermal conductivity relative to water. So, even when in super cold water, the fat maintains its temperature. Fat doesn't require a lot of blood supply so blood stays closer to the skins surface, the surface closest to the coldness.

Extensions to this Activity

Try using different substances like butter, cheese, yogurt, fabric, foil, cotton, etc. Make a chart or graph of the observations

Use the hands-on sensory experience as a starting point to write and illustrate a story

Use ice in other ways to experiment with melting, chipping, and even painting

Arctic animal sorting activity

Play and feel the shortening. Spread it on your hands. Run your hands under water. What do you observe?